There were evenings he walked quietly, lost in thoughts too grim for music or problems that refused to be solved, and then there were the nights like this when he hummed, his steps verging on a dance as he made his stately way through the settlement and towards the Temple that housed his place of work – and the place one of his dearest friends on Caido worked, too. It wasn’t that he’d been avoiding the infirmary, but there was just so much to do and never enough time in the day, and he hadn’t wanted to interrupt or make a nuisance of himself when there were those in the midst of a medical emergency...
Well. He hadn’t been consciously avoiding the infirmary, when he had so many rationales for other things taking precedence. But Isla had offered and he had accepted… and as Long Night drew nearer, he was developing an unsettled sense of something approaching that he didn’t understand, and wouldn’t until it was too late. There were warnings in his books and in the words of his native-born friends, but far too few details. There was dark, and cold, and fear…
And blood.
The last thing Jigano thought he wanted was to hold responsibility for people’s lives in his hands again. He had been so arrogant once – and still, in smaller ways – and his decisions had gotten people killed. His mistakes had gotten people killed. And once the weight of the world had no longer hung from his shoulders he had fled his responsibilities and sought refuge in anonymity. But he had also had magic then, his own and items that had allowed for swift and painless healing. He no longer had that, and if one of his friends or someone he could have helped suffered because of his ignorance…
Was there any greater sin, for a lorekeeper?
Well, yes. But it was at least high on the list.
So, humming to keep his spirits up – and because he was looking forward to seeing Isla again - Jigano found his way to the infirmary’s door and poked his head in with a smile. His hair was bound tightly back in a braid and he wore old clothes that were clean but growing a bit frayed about the edges in case stains were involved – though he hoped that for his first lessons they might avoid that. ”Is the lady healer in?” he asked, pitching his voice to reach back to the study if she wasn’t immediately in sight.
Well. He hadn’t been consciously avoiding the infirmary, when he had so many rationales for other things taking precedence. But Isla had offered and he had accepted… and as Long Night drew nearer, he was developing an unsettled sense of something approaching that he didn’t understand, and wouldn’t until it was too late. There were warnings in his books and in the words of his native-born friends, but far too few details. There was dark, and cold, and fear…
And blood.
The last thing Jigano thought he wanted was to hold responsibility for people’s lives in his hands again. He had been so arrogant once – and still, in smaller ways – and his decisions had gotten people killed. His mistakes had gotten people killed. And once the weight of the world had no longer hung from his shoulders he had fled his responsibilities and sought refuge in anonymity. But he had also had magic then, his own and items that had allowed for swift and painless healing. He no longer had that, and if one of his friends or someone he could have helped suffered because of his ignorance…
Was there any greater sin, for a lorekeeper?
Well, yes. But it was at least high on the list.
So, humming to keep his spirits up – and because he was looking forward to seeing Isla again - Jigano found his way to the infirmary’s door and poked his head in with a smile. His hair was bound tightly back in a braid and he wore old clothes that were clean but growing a bit frayed about the edges in case stains were involved – though he hoped that for his first lessons they might avoid that. ”Is the lady healer in?” he asked, pitching his voice to reach back to the study if she wasn’t immediately in sight.
